Cynthia Mittweg & Sean Barron

CO-FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, AIKO; CEO, AIKO & A.N.D.

Cynthia Mittweg & Sean Barron are those cool parents you always wish you had; after all, they named their daughter, Berlin and not because it’s one of those crazy Hollywood kid names like “Pear” or “South East.” While they veer on the side of those down-with-anything, experimental, hippy parents who would let you throw some huge rager at your house while they fakely go out of town for the night, don’t let their laid back, cool vibe or Mittweg’s cotton-candy pink hair fool you; this is one smart, power couple who have their priorities (and multiple businesses, may we add!) in check.

The dynamic duo is definitely the ying-yang balance of business and creative. Barron is the original brains behind some of our favorite lines like Joie (yeah, you heard us), Katayone Adeli and Jeunesse. While Mittweg – the former singer/artist – put her microphone on the shelf (er, mic stand?) in exchange for designing goods. With Barron’s business savvy background and Mittweg’s expert eye, it was truly a match made in sweatpant and denim heaven; cue: AIKO and, most recently, A.N.D.

They always say “don’t reinvent the wheel,” but if Mittweg and Barron are spearheading something, we say: just trust it. They’ve managed to hone in one thing and do it better than anyone else. “I was wearing a ton of strange dressed up sweatshirts by designers like Norma Kamali that I had accumulated over a period of time,” Mittweg told us. “[For AIKO], Sean and I felt inspired to start a single concept company based around one fabric, basically re-inventing the sweatshirt.” And you can thank the two for being able to get away with sweats loungewear at the office everyday… not just casual Friday.

And Mittweg is the quintessential AIKO girl. “The AIKO girl is elevated, bold, and modern… the sort to fall out of bed, throw something on, and run out looking effortlessly together.” She’s the kind of girl who has dyed her hair red, purple, orange, platinum, and every kind of blue, but can toss on a vintage 90s slip with Céline wedges and Maison Michel kitten ears and head out the door looking all, “Oh, this? It took me five minutes to get dressed.” It’s safe to say Barron has found his main muse.